Nashwa Mostafa Saleh, Maha Mohammed Elsawy, Hamada Abd El-Wahab, Salem Salah Salem and Nour El-Din Abd El-Sattar
The purpose of this study is to develop a new protective coating formulation for industrial use, using benzodiazepine derivatives as double function additives.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a new protective coating formulation for industrial use, using benzodiazepine derivatives as double function additives.
Design/methodology/approach
Benzodiazepine’s derivatives of types (3–5) were prepared and confirmed by infrared, Mass, 1H-Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 13C NMR spectra. The synthesized compound was physically incorporated in the alkyd paint formulation by pebble mill grinding until all particulates are smaller than 20 ums. The prepared coatings were applied by air spray on steel panels. The physical, mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance and antimicrobial test of the prepared coatings were studied to evaluate the prepared compounds drawbacks.
Findings
The results of the mechanical and physical properties of the paint formulation revealed that the paint formulation incorporating benzodiazepines derivatives 3–5 performed best and improved corrosion-resistance and antibacterial activity tests.
Research limitations/implications
In alkyd paint, heterocyclic compounds are the most used antibacterial additives. Other functionalities of these compounds, such as corrosion inhibitors, might be studied to see if they are suited for these applications.
Practical implications
Because of the activity of various benzodiazepine derivatives, which may be attributable to the presence of some function groups such as sulfonamide aromatic amino NH2 group, and elements such as Sulphur, Nitrogen, Chlorine, in its chemical structure. As a result, paint compositions including these compounds as additives can be used as dual-purpose paint and for a variety of industrial applications.
Originality/value
The research demonstrates how a low-cost paint composition based on synthesized benzodiazepine derivatives 3–5 may be used as a dual-function paint for industrial use.
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Marwa M. El-Ashmouni and Ashraf M. Salama
The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical account on the contemporary architecture of Cairo with emphasis on the past three decades, from the early 1990s to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical account on the contemporary architecture of Cairo with emphasis on the past three decades, from the early 1990s to the present. The paper critically analyses narratives of the plurality of “isms”, within architectural vocabulary and discourse, that resulted from the contextual particularities that shaped it.
Design/methodology/approach
Three lines of inquiry are envisioned as overarching aspects of architecture: the chronological, the interventional and the representational. These discussions are underpinned by the discourse of decolonialisation and cosmopolitanism, posited sequentially by Frantz Fanon in The Wretched of the Earth (1961), and Ulrich Beck in The Cosmopolitan Vision (2004). The analysis expands to interrogate these two notions as prelude for reflecting on representations of selected projects: The Smart Village (2001); the Great Egyptian Museum (2002), Al-Azhar Park (2005), American University in Cairo New Campus (2008/2009), and the New Administrative Capital (2018).
Findings
The investigation on the interventional and the representational levels via aspects of discursivity and contradictions highlights that decolonisation and cosmopolitanism are two inseparable facets in the architectural practice in Egypt’s 21st century. These indivisible notions are based on idiosyncratic core to human experience, which emerged from concurrent overturning historical and secular everyday life striving to suppress ideological supremacy.
Research limitations/implications
Further detailed examples can be developed to offer discerning elucidations relevant to both notions of cosmopolitanism and decolonialisation.
Originality/value
The paper offers novel theoretical analysis of Cairo’s most recent architecture. The reflection on the notions of decolonialisation and cosmopolitanism is a timely example of the complex cultural encounters that have shaped the Egyptian architecture, given the recent interventions by the “Modern State” that legitimised such notions.
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This research is designed to answer questions: do Islamic teachings offer relevant perspectives on human resource (HR) issues? Are the treatments of HR issues in Islam compatible…
Abstract
Purpose
This research is designed to answer questions: do Islamic teachings offer relevant perspectives on human resource (HR) issues? Are the treatments of HR issues in Islam compatible with evolving organizational concepts? Do current HR practices in countries with Muslim majority (CMM) resemble Islamic prescriptions? It aims to address these and other questions in line with early Islamic instructions.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper surveys Islamic texts and treaties. It then compares Islamic instruction to what prevails in Christianity and Judaism.
Findings
Islamic prescriptions view the interests of employees and employers as complementary. Workers are treated as the creators of value in the marketplace and by necessity the primary force for economic growth and prosperity. It is argued that the application of the philosophy of ehsan in the workplace offers a useful framework for positively safeguarding societal concerns.
Practical implications
This paper offers practitioners and researchers various avenues on how to address the issues of HR in Islamic societies. In contrasting Islamic and Western HR foundations, the paper identifies certain minefields.
Originality/value
This paper offers a unique insight on the nature of HR instruction and policies. In this paper, it is argued that Islamic prescriptions on HR, if internalized, may guard against violating human dignity and ensure a fine balance between organizational and societal interests.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine how women academics from the Arab Middle East enact their careers with reference to double-bounded contexts: academia as an institution…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how women academics from the Arab Middle East enact their careers with reference to double-bounded contexts: academia as an institution encoding organizational career scripts and gender as another institution encoding specific gender roles. It is hoped that this cross-cultural perspective would broaden the understanding of careers beyond the economically advanced industrialized countries and better inform the current debate on the boundaryless career model.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is qualitative and exploratory in nature. It draws on one-to-one interviews with 23 female academics in early, mid and late careers, working in research universities in the Arab Middle East region.
Findings
The choice of academia as a profession is mainly driven by the subjective perception of an academic career as a calling, the lack of attractiveness of other career options in the region, and the appeal of the flexibility of academic work. Furthermore, the findings highlight both organizational (lack of mentoring and university support) and cultural factors (Islam, patriarchy, and family centrality) that shape/bind women's careers choices and patterns allowing thus for a better understanding of local constraints to the boundaryless career view in the Arab Middle East context.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the boundaryless career theory development by addressing one of its major shortcomings, namely the lack of attention to context. It provides fresh insights from the Arab Middle East to the ongoing debate whether careers are boundaryless and subject to individual agency or whether careers are shaped by wider institutional factors and support existing calls in the literature to conceptualize careers at the intersection of several influencing factors.
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M.R. Lasheen, G. El‐Kholy, C.M. Sharaby, I.Y. Elsherif and S.T. El‐Wakeel
The purpose of this paper is to assess and monitor a sample of heavy metals, namely lead, cadmium and copper, in water treatment plants at Greater Cairo, Egypt, to assess the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess and monitor a sample of heavy metals, namely lead, cadmium and copper, in water treatment plants at Greater Cairo, Egypt, to assess the efficiency of water treatment plants for metals removal and to monitor lead concentrations in the distribution system.
Design/methodology/approach
Water samples were collected from two water treatment plants. In addition, randomly flushed tap water samples from different districts at Greater Cairo were analyzed for lead concentration. Other water quality parameters also were monitored in water samples.
Findings
The study indicated that for water treatment plant intake, the mean concentrations were 4.44, 0.38 and 5.54μg/l for lead, cadmium and copper respectively. However, the final effluent shows that the mean concentrations of lead, cadmium and copper were 2.0, 0.15 and 2.78μg/l respectively. The drinking water mean metals concentrations were below World Health Organization drinking water guidelines and the Egyptian drinking water standards. The results revealed that water‐treatment plants have a high efficiency for metals removal where lead, cadmium and copper concentrations were reduced by 54.9, 60.5 and 49.8 per cent respectively. On the other hand, as expected, the water treatment plant sludge showed high accumulation with metals in concentrations decreased in the following order Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd. The mean lead concentration was 9.5μg/l in tap water samples.
Originality/value
Water treatment plants have a high efficiency for metals removal; water treatment plant sludge contains high concentrations of metals and should be treated before discharge; lead contamination from the distribution system is well established and lead concentration in homes in studied areas were higher than concentrations in plant effluent.
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As lubricating oils are used, their performance deteriorates and they become contaminated. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lubrication performance of reclaimed…
Abstract
Purpose
As lubricating oils are used, their performance deteriorates and they become contaminated. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lubrication performance of reclaimed 5 W-30 a fully synthetic used engine oil (UEO) with wear tests after refining it from a solvent-based extraction method using solvent (1-PrOH) and adsorbent materials such as cement, celite and deep eutectic solvent (DES).
Design/methodology/approach
The treated oil mixtures were prepared by blending engine oils with various adsorbent materials at 5% (w/w) in organic 1-PrOH solvent at a UEO: solvent ratio of 1:2 (w/w). The measurement of kinematic viscosity, density, the total acid number (TAN) and elemental analysis of oil samples was done by the ASTM standards D445/D446, D4052, D974 and D6595, respectively. Adsorbents and treated oil samples characterized by SEM-EDX, FTIR and UV analysis, respectively. Meanwhile, lubricating performance in tribological applications was evaluated through the wear test device using a rotating steel alloy 1.2379 cylinder and a stationary 1.2738 pin under 20, 40 and 80 kg load conditions. Worn surface analysis was done with SEM and 2.5D images.
Findings
It was found that when using the combination of cement and celite as an adsorbent in the reclamation of used engine oil demonstrated better lubricant properties. The properties of used engine oil were improved in the manner of kinematic viscosity of 32.55 from 68.49 mm2/s, VI (Viscosity index) value of 154 from 130, TAN of 3.18 from 4.35 (mgKOH/g) and Fe content of 11 from 32 mg/L. The anti-wear properties of used engine oil improved by at least 32% when 5% cement and 5% celite adsorbent materials were used together.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on findings from a fully synthetic 5 W-30 A5 multi-grade engine lubrication oil collected after driving approximately 12.000 km.
Practical implications
The results are significant, as they suggest practical regeneration of used engine oil is achievable. Additionally, blending fresh oil with reclaimed used engine oil in a 1:1 ratio reduced wear loss by over 10% compared to fresh oil.
Social implications
Reusing used engine oils can reduce their environmental impact and bring economic benefits.
Originality/value
This study showed that the properties of UEO can be enhanced using the solvent extraction-adsorption method. Furthermore, the study provided valuable insights into the metal concentrations in engine oil samples and their impact on lubrication performance. The order of the number of the grooves quantity and the possibility of the observed scuffing region trend relative to the samples was UEO > 5W-30 fresh oil > Treated oil sample with the adsorbent cement and celite together.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-06-2024-0209/
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Nizar Mohammad Alsharari, Mohammad Al-Shboul and Salem Alteneiji
This study aims to explain the implementation of Cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and underlying factors and challenges that might be practiced by the users. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain the implementation of Cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and underlying factors and challenges that might be practiced by the users. It also provides a comparison between traditional and Cloud ERP systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses qualitative case study and analyzes the primary evidences from in-depth interviews. It conducts a thematic analysis of the interviews' findings. Furthermore, the current study uses three groups of factors (technological, management and environmental) that are expected to be best determinants of the Cloud ERP implementation.
Findings
The findings provide an evidence that using the Cloud EPR system, as alternative to on premise traditional ERP system, is constructive to the success of organizations and improve the quality of their decision-making process. The findings also reveal that effectiveness of implementing Cloud ERP is reliable on the provider's professionalism; hence resulting in issues related to minimize organizational independence.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is subjected to case studies limitations, as it lacks rigor and generalization. The paper has important implications for practitioners and decision-makers alike as it presents real-life example about Cloud ERP implementation. It thus enhances decision-makers' ability to make a relevant reporting process in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Originality/value
This study can be considered as a one of very few case studies that discusses Cloud ERP implementation in UAE organizations particularly SMEs. It also provides three groups of factors (technological, management and environmental) that are influenced by the Cloud ERP implementation.
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Daiane Cristina de Oliveira Garcia, Liliane Lazzari Albertin and Tsunao Matsumoto
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of a duckweed pond in the polishing of a stabilization pond effluent, as well as quantify its biomass production. Once an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of a duckweed pond in the polishing of a stabilization pond effluent, as well as quantify its biomass production. Once an adequate destination is given to the produced biomass, the wastewater treatment plant can work in a sustainable and integrated way.
Design/methodology/approach
The duckweed pond consisted of a tank with volume 0.44 m3, operating in continuous flow with an outflow of 0.12 m3/day and hydraulic retention time of 3.8 days. Effluent samples were collected before and after the treatment, with analyzes made: daily-pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature; twice a week – total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD); and weekly – total solids (TS) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5). The duckweeds were collected each for seven days for its production quantification.
Findings
The highest efficiency of TN, TP, COD, BOD5 and TS removal were of 74.67, 66.18, 88.12, 91.14 and 48.9 percent, respectively. The highest biomass production rate was 10.33 g/m2/day in dry mass.
Research limitations/implications
There was great variation in biomass production, which may be related to the stabilization pond effluent conditions. The evaluation of the effluent composition, which will be treated with duckweeds, is recommended.
Practical implications
The evaluated treatment system obtained positive results for the reduction in the analyzed variables concentration, being an efficient technology and with operational simplicity for the domestic effluent polishing.
Originality/value
The motivation of this work was to bring a simple system of treatment and to give value to a domestic wastewater treatment system in a way that, at the same time the effluent polluter level is reduced and it is also possible to produce biomass during the treatment process.